$880m budget bombshell: "appetite maybe be waning" for FMAP

The Legislature and governor's office is on notice: The extra Medicaid money the state was hoping for (to dig itself out of a budget hole) might not come from Washington after all. The Senate provisionally plugged the money, $880m into its budget, while the House didn't. That's been a major sticking point in behind-closed-door talks between the chambers over reconciling their budgets.

Now, in a new email from Gov. Charlie Crist's Washington office to his budget guru, Jerry McDaniel, it seems the Medicaid money won't come. Here it is:

Jerry,

FMAP is not included any legislation being considered this week. What I am hearing is that appetite maybe be waning on the Hill. Members think they already helped the states with all that was included in the healthcare bill for states. Spending is becoming a hot topic up here and FMAP extension is expensive. Still digging but right now we don't see a vehicle for it. Sorry, not good news I know.